General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTweet from Biden minutes ago: I'm urging all governors to pardon prior state offenses of simple possession of marijuana
No one should be in a federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, and no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either.
Link to tweet
pfitz59
(10,398 posts)No one should be jailed for mere possession or personal use.
sheshe2
(83,942 posts)CanonRay
(14,119 posts)Cha
(297,774 posts)Over big in Florida and other reds states Im guessing.
bahboo
(16,370 posts)a LOT of folks, repubs included I'm sure, smoke weed in those states.
Faux pas
(14,695 posts)Happy 420! Excuse me while I hit the old water pipe
Maraya1969
(22,507 posts)I'm in FL and I wonder if Mr. Jackass Desantis will do it.
COL Mustard
(5,933 posts)People who have security clearances cant touch it, even if they live in a state where its legal.
OAITW r.2.0
(24,656 posts)Bet he's never inhaled, but he gets the bullshitiness of pot crimes.
Freethinker65
(10,064 posts)malaise
(269,209 posts)Rec
multigraincracker
(32,733 posts)Prisoners Of War on drugs.
😄
Skittles
(153,212 posts)Botany
(70,598 posts)Go Joe!
odins folly
(158 posts)Many red states, and some blue, bought into privatization of their prisons. The contracts were written to say that the state must maintain a high (no pun) 90 percent occupancy rate in order to not pay more on the contract. My state of AZ had this issue.
If they let the lowly weed crimes go, they dont have enough criminals to fill the beds.
Wednesdays
(17,439 posts)flying_wahini
(6,661 posts)And contracts can be changed.
odins folly
(158 posts)Here in AZ. I find it most humorous that it is the r side that is now complaining that we are spending tax dollars to cover a contract that charges extra because we dont have enough criminals to fill all the prison beds.
I welcome decriminalizing weed, the racist bullshit reasons for it being criminal in the first place need to be pushed off.
SergeStorms
(19,204 posts)Not ordering. Red state governors will not comply with urges.
malaise
(269,209 posts)That is all
we can do it
(12,202 posts)JoseBalow
(2,497 posts)Mountainguy
(547 posts)Be part of Bidens reelection strategy.
Celerity
(43,581 posts)but some in the DEA are supposedly fighting even that.
https://www.dea.gov/drug-information/drug-scheduling
questionseverything
(9,662 posts)After all if mj was legal they would have to pursue actual dangerous drug dealers selling fentanyl and the stuff that eats your skin away . Chasing old hippies is much easier
japple
(9,844 posts)hold with that. Part of what is propping up the state of GA is the prison system. Make that the prison industry.
Hekate
(90,848 posts)
when he was Veep. Fingers crossed that he can get this done federally despite profound obstacles.
MichMan
(11,990 posts)Celerity
(43,581 posts)GoodRaisin
(8,930 posts)summer_in_TX
(2,762 posts)Marijuana was listed as a Schedule 1 drug: highly likely for abuse and no known medical benefits. (Heroin, cocaine, and LSD are among Schedule I drugs.)
In October, Biden directed HHS to reconsider it as a Schedule III drug.
I would guess it will take Congressional action to remove it from the list of controlled substances.
SeanHG
(15 posts)perhaps? Joe's historically been against re/declassification. One wonders if he's courting the youth vote...
Mark.b2
(261 posts)Of course, polling may say otherwise.
Congress just needs to make it legal.
OverBurn
(960 posts)twodogsbarking
(9,840 posts)4lbs
(6,865 posts)Case in point.
I was working the late shift and a dude in a car was parked in our lot. For a long time. With the lights on.
Evidently it was the night before Saturday night, 4/20. It was 4/19 at 11:30pm.
He was smoking weed.
After about 15 minutes, he slowly drove into the drive thru and bought a bunch of food. Got it, and promptly drove slowly back to his parking spot. He began eating and smoking more weed. Again parked, again with the lights on.
He repeated this several times.
He must have spent an additional $80 or so on food.
Money he would probably not have spent had he simply gone home and gone to bed instead of having elected to smoke weed and eaten off his munchies that resulted.
Good. For. The. Economy.
MichMan
(11,990 posts)Lung cancer, emphysema and obesity?
coprolite
(183 posts)clinically studying Marijuana we don't know that it causes lung cancer or anything else. Likewise we don't know if it has any benefits.
MichMan
(11,990 posts)I don't.
4lbs
(6,865 posts)All states who have legalized marijuana for years now.
Have those disease rates spiked up in those states? Has it been a 'drain' on those healthcare systems there?
I don't know.
BannonsLiver
(16,493 posts)I think Ive seen similar fear mongering reefer madness style posts from you in the past.
MichMan
(11,990 posts)Decided when I was in my 40's that it wasn't good for my health and quit. I saw all the tars and residue that collected in my pipe that needed to be cleaned out. If I was smoking joints all of that and more would have been inhaled. That was 25 years ago.
Pretending that there are no health risks after what we know about cigarettes is burying your head in the sand.
BannonsLiver
(16,493 posts)MichMan
(11,990 posts)I guess I'm guilty then...
DemocraticPatriot
(4,431 posts)Those two things generate much more costs on health care than marijuana use.
MichMan
(11,990 posts)The effects of inhaling toxic smoke and byproducts are known to scientists from tobacco. The tobacco industry was sued and paid billions to states for health care costs.
Why would we be dumb enough to not recognize the health risks of marijuana?
cutroot
(876 posts)MichMan
(11,990 posts)hueymahl
(2,510 posts)Love that it was on 4/20
tavernier
(12,409 posts)A blanket pardon.
Martin68
(22,900 posts)yagotme
(2,935 posts)Feds control federal prisons. Governors can't do anything about federal crimes. He has to take action at the federal level to release fed. inmates.
Dave Bowman
(1,885 posts)betsuni
(25,679 posts)dai13sy
(341 posts)This is huge. We have another display of common sense from our President. He just keeps hitting it out of the park.